English Lounge 4/3 Topic (인문관 217호)
1st Session (Small Talk)
1. Introduce yourself
2. When is your birthday?
3. What do you usually do on your birthday?
4. Which do you prefer : 'No presents, no worries' or 'Many presents, many birthdays'?
Four-Day Week Made Permanent for Many UK Companies
In 2022, companies across the UK took part in a four-day working week trial ― and a year after it ended, researchers say many of them have made the four-day working week permanent.
Sixty-one organizations participated in the trial between June and December 2022. Workers in these organizations worked 80% of their usual hours for the same amount of pay, although they still had to do 100% of their usual work.
On average, employees worked just under 32 hours a week. Most were given one full day off work, while others had their hours reduced across the week.
In a recent study published by Autonomy ― one of the organizations that helped run the trial ― researchers said 54 of these organizations have kept the four-day week, and 31 have made the change permanent.
Over 50% of managers and CEOs in the trial said the shortened week has had a positive impact on things like staff well-being and productivity, and has reduced staff turnover.
In a survey with staff from some of the organizations, the team also found that the shortened week improved employees' work-life balance and reduced burnout.
Juliet Schor from Boston College, one of the researchers, said the study shows that the effects of working one less day a week are "real and long-lasting."
"When you realize that day has allowed you to be relaxed and rested, and ready to absolutely go for it on those other four days ― you start to realize that to go back to working on a Friday would feel really wrong," said one of the CEOs in the study.
The results of this trial may be good news for lots of workers around the world. In 2023, a survey found that 81% of workers in the US would like to have a four-day week.
Do you agree with a four-day week?
What activities can we enjoy on weekends if the four-day week is implemented?
What are the disadvantages of a four - day week?(Imagine the situation that from tomorrow, we should have a four - day week permanently.)
2st Session (Small Talk)
1. Introduce yourself
2. Do you have any other countries you like besides the one you grew up in?
3. Have you ever thought about living in another country?
4. What is the most important thing to live another country?
One such superstition warns against whistling at night, as it is believed to attract ghosts, spirits or snakes. This notion is often used to scare children from making noise at night.
Though the roots of this superstition remain unclear, it inspired Bang Young-woong’s novel, “Bun-rye's Story,” in which a man whistles to attract snakes.
Many Koreans feel uneasy at the thought of their names being written in red ink, as the color was used in the past on the names of the deceased in family registers.
There are several theories behind this, one of which involves a tale about Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The emperor sought to monopolize the color red, which symbolizes good luck, vitality and fortune in China, and prohibited anyone other than himself from having their name written in red. When this prohibition reached Korea, it transformed into a superstition that writing a name in red ink could lead to a person’s death.
The stone wall of Deoksugung, a historical palace in Seoul, is a must-visit spot in Seoul, but it has a superstition that discourages couples from going on dates there. It says couples who walk along the palace's outer stone wall will eventually break up.
The origin of this superstition is believed to be linked to the Seoul Family Court, which was once located near the road. Couples seeking a divorce had to pass Deoksugung on the way to the court.
In 1995, the court moved to Seocho-dong, and today the Seoul Museum of Art stands in its place.
A Chinese superstition says that "washing your hair on the first day of the new year will drive away good luck." But in Korea, New Year’s Day has traditionally been one of the busiest days for public bathhouses, as many choose to start the year with a proper cleanup.
What superstitions do you believe in?
Do you have any anecdotes about superstitions?
Who first told you about the superstitions you know?
Do you want to talk to children about superstitions in the future?